ALSO Biographies

ALSO

The Facts

  • After deciding in 2004 (at a brainstorming session) that no one else was going to help them do it, took it upon themselves to fund and book a tour in Europe on their own.  Since, then they have done the same thing three more times. 
  • 2011 full-length release Music Belongs in the Background went top 200 on CMJ in 2011
  • Recently added to the music genome project/Pandora Radio (USA) and Radiopark (Europe, World) • Pandora.com - Make an ALSO station
  • Recorded two records with Grammy-winning producer and engineer Warren Riker
  • Played the Rainbow Room in West LA the same night a shooting occurred there
  • The oldest building ALSO has played a show in was built in 1567
  • An ALSO sticker can be seen in the background in Tarantino's "Death Proof"

ALSO started life as a band in 2003 when they self-recorded their first release, Morning. Since then, they have produced an EP, Send Them Off Smiling (2005), and two full-length studio albums, It Was Fine To Be Kind (2006) and the recently released Music Belongs In The Background (2011). Formed in Los Angeles, ALSO is comprised of Drew Conrad (vocals/guitars), Mark Zelen (bass/keyboards) and Scotland Stephenson (drums/percussion). In August 2011 Emvy joined the ranks on keys, mellotron and effects, rounding up the line-up as a 4-piece.

In describing the concept of the band, frontman Conrad says, "The glass is half empty, true, but it is also half full. We are all aware of this analogy, but the profundity of this seemingly simple concept is very much a constant theme in our music". The concise word itself, "also", sums up contrast as much as open-mindedness, and serves as a constant reminder that even dead-end life situations can be seen from different perspectives. This sophisticated approach is reflected in the band's music. Conrad's vigorous, deep voice grumbles, admonishes, satirizes and praises as he takes on precarious topics such as disorientation, a decline in values, and suicide. Though his lyrics are not for the feint-hearted, the listener is invariably caught by the hopeful spiritedness of the music. The tight and driving rhythm section of Stephenson and Zelen creates a vibrant framework for well-wrought layers of guitars and soundscapes.

Upon release, the band's current release "Music Belongs In The Background" quickly charted in the CMJ Top 200, the premiere chart in the U.S. for measuring the airplay of alternative/independent artists. The album is broad stylistically and emotionally, boasting huge soundscapes coupled with moments of a dark and ethereal moodiness, while maintaining a consistent feel throughout that is very much ALSO's own sound, which makes categorizing it a troublesome task. Yet critics have placed the band somewhere between dreamy Brit pop, post-punk and neo-psychedelic art rock. Some fans like to compare them to Jeff Buckley, The National or The Smiths, while others are intrigued by a sonic fragility described as similar to The Antlers or Elbow. Whether delicate and ghostly or decidedly explosive, their songs never seem unnecessarily pompous: an intimate and profound thoughtfulness hovers over them at all times.

Ultimately ALSO prove their latest effort is anything but what the title suggests: "Even if Music Belongs In The Background needs a couple of spins before it fully unfolds... you can indeed apply words such as gem or masterpiece for the three-piece's sophomore record, as listening to it is like traveling to a band's cosmos from which you can barely escape." (German publication LAXMag, April 2011) Nor does being an unsigned act keep the band at home. Along with their two studio releases, ALSO have self-funded four European underground tours, including stops in the musical capitals of London, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Paris, and Berlin. 

While their records have always featured keyboard lines and alternative melodies, the three could not incorporate them while performing live. Since August 2011 Emvy has been part of the line-up on keyboards, mellotron and effects which brings new influences and dramatically boosts the ethereal nature of the live show. They are currently writing new material and preparing tours through 2012.


ALSO's music is self-released.


Radio Airplay:

  • ALSO's current release has charted the CMJ Top 200 radio charts and has been picked up by Pandora Radio (USA) and Radiopark (Europe, World)

Press Excerpts:

  • "Every note seems to be in position and touches the listener deep inside. The mighty voice of Drew Conrad pulls its weight for the rest, with the result that you can indeed apply words such as gem or masterpiece for the three-piece's sophomore record, as listening to Music Belongs In The Background is like travelling to a band's cosmos which you can barely escape.(…) Ultimately we just as much deserve their unpretentious, vibrant and unagitated rock which you can entrust to everybody who is into The National, Elbow or Band of Horses."
    LaxMag.de (Germany, 4/2011)
  • "ALSO take the sum of their influences and come up with a sound that's their own, a dark, dreamy take on mainstream alternative rock seen through the eyes of an artist instead of through the eyes of a business-minded marketer. That said, in between the somber moments of melancholic darkness, you'll get brighter pieces like "So Long" and "Call it Funny", where the band's spacious soundscape experiences a bit of sunlight on both the guitar sound and in the impressive vocals of vocalist Drew Conrad."
    Rockfreaks.net (Denmark, 8/2011)
  • "A three-piece built around the trembling tenor of singer/guitarist Drew Conrad (...) The album as a whole is fairly pleasant and Conrad has a knack for creating a hummable tune."
    PopMatters.com (2/2011)
  • "Britrock Sounds for the Space Just Outside of Dreams: ALSO's 'Music Belongs in the Background' haunts that mystical space between dream state and consciousness even while delivering rock music that moves straight ahead. (...) It actually clamors to be turned up loud, accompanying you on travels like the Church's Starfish - ethereal, driving Britrock."
    MusicSpectrum.org (2/2011)
  • "Californian indie rockers ALSO are a fine example of what good songwriting and great musicianship can create. Their sound is a hybrid of strong and muscular roots-rock with prominent 80s British post-punk influences and a touch of jangle-pop. Try to figure out a mixture of R.E.M., 16 Horsepower's mystical singing and Echo & The Bunnymen's atmospheric grandeur and you might get a rough idea of what I'm talking about"
    Love In Spurts (Italy, 5/2011)
  • Dependent on nothing: The term "indie" should be handled with care. But to be more indie than ALSO, an L.A.-based band without a record deal and nonetheless jovially touring Europe, is not possible. (...) Listening to Also one becomes aware again how little those simple genre labels reveal as a matter of fact. A singer/songwriter approach is combined with an inclination to experimental rock. Effect pedals can be bliss, if you are purposefully seeking unusual sounds.
    Abendzeitung Munich, Germany (8/2009)

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